At the hospital, Blair was told that her husband was taken to Upstate University Hospital. Instead of leaving, Perkins drove Blair and her daughter to Syracuse and waited at the hospital with them until she was reunited with her husband, Blair said.

"We attempted to repay Sgt. Perkins for his efforts, but he declined, taking only our ‘thank you.’” Blair said in a statement. "Sgt. Perkins is a true hero to us in every way. We thank him for reuniting our family."

Perkins is a member of the First Squadron 89th Calvary Regiment, a part of the Second Brigade, and is stationed at Fort Drum. He is on leave and was not available to speak with the media today, said Kae Young, media relations officer for the U.S. Army at Fort Drum.

Blair, her husband and daughter were aboard a tour bus bound for New York City when a tractor-trailer rear-ended it at about 1:30 a.m., causing both vehicles to burst into flames.

Fifty-two passengers and the driver escaped from the bus, which was fully inflamed when the firefighters arrived. The driver of the truck, Timothy Hume of Dryden, Mich., died in the crash.